The present invention relates to a household appliance having a first and a second housing, which are arranged next to each other and fixed to each other sidewall to sidewall (side-by-side arrangement).
DE 202 09 516 U1 disclosed a refrigerator and freezer device of this type which consists of a block-shaped refrigerator part and a freezer part that can be set up side by side to make a unit. The intermediate space is closed off in an airtight manner by means of a seal. This prevents moisture-laden air penetrating into the gap zone between the refrigerator part and the freezer part—which gap zone is cooler in comparison with the environment—and condensing on the side surfaces of the refrigerator part and the freezer part. Fixing bars are attached on the front side to prevent the appliances moving apart.
With this mode of construction, however, it can happen, due to careless shifting during or after the assembly of the household appliances, that the gap between the mutually facing wall surfaces becomes wider toward the rear side of the refrigeration appliance and thus the peripheral seal becomes ineffective. Moreover, it has also been found that the sensitive seals can be damaged during the shifting of the housings into the “target position” in difficult assembly situations.
A further disadvantage of this known device is that it is difficult to compress the seal with a high level of force in order to ensure a reliable sealing effect, and that there is a danger of the two housings being pushed apart over the course of time by the force of the seal compressed between them until finally the sealing effect is no longer ensured.